DEI Fundamentals for Volunteers

What you’ll learn

• Define diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging — and how they fit together
• Tell the difference between equity and equality, and why it matters in service
• Recognize implicit bias in yourself and use practical tactics to counter it
• Spot microaggressions, use inclusive language, and practice cultural humility
• Help create a sense of belonging for everyone you serve and serve alongside

Course outline

1. 1

   Diversity, equity, inclusion — and belonging

   You may hear "DEI" tossed around as a single buzzword, but it is really four distinct ideas that build on one another.

   5 min Quiz Interactive
2. 2

   Equity vs. equality

   The most common mix-up in this whole topic is equity vs.

   5 min Quiz Interactive
3. 3

   Why it matters when you serve

   This is not just theory or paperwork. For a nonprofit, inclusion is tied directly to the mission: you cannot serve a community well if large parts of it do not feel…

   4 min Quiz Interactive
4. 4

   Implicit bias — and how to counter it

   Here is a humbling truth: everyone carries implicit (unconscious) biases.

   6 min Quiz Interactive
5. 5

   Microaggressions & inclusive language

   Bias does not only live in big, obvious acts.

   5 min Quiz Interactive
6. 6

   Cultural humility

   You will never become an "expert" in every culture you encounter — and that is fine, because the goal is not mastery.

   4 min Quiz Interactive
7. 7

   Creating belonging — put it together

   Everything in this course points toward one outcome: belonging — the moment a person stops scanning the room to see if they are welcome and simply relaxes into…

   4 min Interactive

Sources & further reading

• National Council of Nonprofits — Why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Matter for Nonprofits
• BoardSource — Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiative
• NH Center for Nonprofits — What Do We Mean by DEI? (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion definitions)
• Project Implicit (Harvard University) — Implicit Association Test — measuring attitudes outside conscious awareness
• Tervalon & Murray-García (J. Health Care Poor Underserved, 1998) — Cultural Humility Versus Cultural Competence